Not going anywhere for a while...

 

Cannoli's and snow

61 in Denver.  Whatever!

I got the urge late this morning to do my 16 mile run today vs tomorrow.  Glad I did!  Perhaps some internal barometer told me to.  Guess I should finally find a weather channel around here.  I have also been debating buying tickets to the ballet in Milan for tomorrow.  That would have sucked.  Tickets are not cheap.  It would have been like Norwegian bumper cars on the autobahn, oops, I mean autostrada. I mean come on, this car has at LEAST two to three inch wide tires.  Cross country ski's strapped to this battery powered baby would have more control.  I'm staying put tomorrow....and icing my shins....and building a fire...and eating cannoli's.  Is anyone watching the Pro Bowl? 

Yes, I finally made the cannoli’s after finding what I needed.  Good recipe! http://www.academiabarilla.com/recipes/cannoli.aspx   The singular is cannolo, means "little tube"  (I guess I should just say cannoli vs being redundant and adding the 's....btw, panini is plural, panino is one and the Italians pronounce Bruchetta with a k in the middle...che=k like spanish...end tangent).  Couldn't find sheep's milk ricotta and I needed a thickening agent for the stuff I got.  The shells puffed up quite a bit, needed to be much thinner, dangerously thin.  And now I know why the cannoli's in pictures have the cocoa covering the inner shell rather than in the mix.  Not quite as appetizing looking otherwise.  Candied orange peel or flavoring is key to the recipe.  Once you find tubes you can fry and a pastry bag you're set.

I’ll make the custard tort and tiramisu soon but I need to finish the cheesecake and cannoli  first.  Me and my belly miss the people at work who would eat this all up.

Ciao, I miss you all!!!

Lunch:)

Tour de France

I got a split vote for coast and Alps so I did both.  Woke up at 5am and drove the back roads down to Savona along the coast to Aix.  I found one of the Calisson shops, Leonard Parli right away, another one Bechard Sa was closed and the third one, Roy Rene was not where the map said it was.  No bother, I got what I came for, mass quantities of Calissons.  From experience I know that once you exit Aix, you can’t get back on the highway going the direction I came from (maybe someone knows how but no one I've talked to), which is why continuing on to Montelimar made sense.

After a brief drive through Avignon for nostalgia sake, the fortified city in the picts, and getting lost only to find a McDonalds with free Wi-Fi to get me back on track (will my blasphemy never cease), I made it to Montelimar.  Each town in France are each known for something and the exit signs from the autostada are marked with pictures of it.  No surprise, Montelimar’s was nougat.  I just wish my camera turned on faster.  After a couple scores there it was time to hit the Alps via Grenoble. 

Lucky for me it was a perfectly clear day and the roads were dry.  There is a 12 kilometer tunnel at the top of the pass between France and Italy which costs 36 euro (nevermind the other countless tolls).  Other than that, it was a lot like driving in the Rockies, maybe even easier because the roads here actually felt less steep.

I got to see the sun rise over the water and set in the Alps.  Lovely (and long) day.

I hope you enjoy the picts!

 

 

Long run and F O O D!

Io ho corso ventiquattro chilometri oggi.  I ran 24 kilometers (15 miles) today.  Yesterday, I hid three bottles of water along the way.  SHHHH!  Don't tell anyone.  But, check out the elevation gain!  I had a nice walk about mile 7 (nevermind how long this took me). AND I made it to the store before they closed at 1:30 (VERY important for dinner).  The man behind me in line (that I recognized from yesterdays shopping) ran after me because I forgot one of my purchased borsa/bags.  Molto grazie Signor! 

I’m beginning to realize I’m not the outcast I imagine myself to be.  This slow realization is the result of several encounters over the past few days.  First, today was the second time someone has stopped while I was running and asked me for directions.  Huh?  No parlo Italiano.  Mi dispiace.  ….because of course, I look like I fit in (no laughing at the picture people, it’s cold here).  Second, two people in as many days have made the journey down the narrow forbidding driveway (most neighbors have dogs as an early warning system of visitors, I have a gravel driveway) to visit myself.  The first, a gentleman, of about 45 or 50 years of age, swung his white Rav4 around, nearly hitting my sardine can of a macchina and gently honked his horn.  Seeing as how I was still dressed in appropriate attire from my earlier adventures of the day, I greeted him at the door.  A very distressed gentleman spouted off a few sentences before I could confirm non io capisco.  After a few minutes of preaching to me about something of major concern having to do with camminano (I later translated to “they walk”), the gentleman got frustrated with me and kept looking past me into the house asking for my marito.  Sorry dude…..The second visitor I politely ignored.

My new favorite movie is “A room with a view”.  It’s a little before my generations time from 1985 but it has an actress that went on to co-star with Brad Pitt in Fight Club and Johnny Depp in Sweeney Todd (and Alice in Wonderland), Helena Bonham Carter.  Consider this movie a predecessor to Under the Tuscan Sun and Eat, Pray, Love (only with a British girl).

LOOK!  I…..I have made fire.  Of course, I had matches but, whatever, Tom Hanks.

I had 2 votes for ricotta cheesecake.  Here is the recipe http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/sicilian-ricotta-cheesecake/Detail.aspx.  Needs cherries or a raspberry coulis (dang-it, another French word).   The cannoli’s are in-progress.  I still need pistachios and chocolate chips.

Carb loading - minus the wine

 

Where are we going? 

No really, were are we going?

What?

Recovery Drink

  

Snack

Crack

    

  

Ice Packs

fuoco

Pretty

Ingredients for Cheesecake

Ricotta Cheesecake

mmmmmm

French Nougat and Calissons

I totally burnt spaghetti last night.  Ooops.  I’m really not as dumb as you think. The flames from the gas stove were surrounding the pan and the ends sticking over the top got a little crispy, well more like singed, alright burnt.  I’m sure that’s some sort of blasphemy.  Will they kick me out?

Ok, I need input from you guys on a couple things today. 

France - Monday

The last time I ventured to this part of the world I went on a tour of a Nougaterie in Montelimar, France (insert accent over letters at will).  They had not only great nougat, but these little diamond shaped pieces of heaven called calissons made from candied melon and orange peel with almond icing.  Mmmm.  In the 17th century some thought that eating a calisson every day would keep the plague away (insert your snide comment about the French here).  http://www.suprem-nougat.fr/.  I’ve tried to find these gems on amazon.com, and they have them…sometimes…but are overpriced and shipping to the states is about as much as they are.  So, I go to the source.  Monday.

Here’s what I need input on.  I can go to Montelimar through the Swiss Alps or to Aix-en-Provence along the coast through Monaco, Nice and Marseille.  Both cities are 5 hours away.  Both cities have calissons and nougat, though Montelimar is more famous for nougat and Aix-en-Provence for calissons.  Anyone have a preference for pictures they want to see along the way?
  A. Alps
  B. Coast

Dessert – Saturday

While I’m on this sugar kick, I’ve decided tomorrow project is going to make a dessert.  So the second thing I need your vote on:
  1. Tiramisu
  2. Cannoli
  3. Panna Cotta
  4. Ricotta Cheesecake
  5. Torta della Nonna – custard pie with pine nuts and almonds


Have a fabulous weekend all!

  

http://www.suprem-nougat.fr/nougat-montelimar/fabrication-calisson.html

http://www.france-epicurien.com/

Arione

Success!

It only took me two weeks but I finally feel settled in.  Today I had a couple missions and I succeeded in both of them.  Well, first of all, I was supposed to run but there was ice hanging from the vines.  Let’s just postpone that until tomorrow.  Today is for having fun!!

Missions:

1. Buy Arione wine 

2. Plan a trip to France

Arione (Moscato d’Asti)

Arione is I’m told the best Moscato d’Asti around, and it’s in my back yard.  Heck, I run by the sign Strada del Moscato d’Asti every day.  I’ve seen signs for the Arione vineyards and the Cantina’s all over the place but don’t really know where to buy it.  So, with a little guts and the right timing (before the 12:30 to 3:30 closing time for lunch), I found the place.  

First, the wine.  A Moscato d’Asti is a nice fruity, slightly bubbly dessert wine.  I have shared this wine with friends and family who drink very little and they loved it.  The other nice thing about the Moscato is that it’s only about 5.5% alcohol.  A very nice light wine, and also a fun name to say if you roll your r's and hang on to the o.   http://www.arione.it/

So I parked the unimpressive looking fiat Panda (a.k.a. toy car) and walked up to this impressive looking ufficio, pull, nope, push the opaque door open and walk up the clean narrow stairs to the offices and stop!  Now, I have a decision to make here.  I could realize I’m trespassing and leave now, or plunge forward under the pretense of stupidity.  I chose the latter.  

“Buon Giorno – Do you speak English?”  Reply: No.  Great!  Now we’re starting the conversation at ground zero so I can increase my Italian speaking points rather than the deductions I’ve incurred so far.  “Dove compro Arione?”  She opens a book.  Great!  I can buy it here.  I point to the wine I want then say my favorite phrase “Vorrei comprate con la carta di credito”.  Yes!  I pay with a credit card and she starts to tell me where I can pick up my wine.  Dritto…is the only word I recognize.  Straight.  I go out and go strait to the warehouse with my slip to pick it up.  Got it!  And off I go happy as a clam with my new purchase.  Yeah!!!!

France (Aix-in Provence) trip - in search of Nougat and Calissons

I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow. 

Oh, and I found kindling (in the form of boxes a supermarket was throwing out), and a dress in case I venture to Milan again to see a ballet at the Teatro alla Scala.  Maybe Jan. 30^th.  More to come…

...and as an extra bonus, I got an e-mail from maratonadiroma saying my registration for the Rome Marathon on March 20th was approved....Yeah!!!  

It only took:

-a note from my doctor downloaded in pdf form, printed off, wet signature, scanning back into electronic form only to e-mail it and upload it to the site.

-uploaded of proof of payment (yes, to the same website I paid from)

-and, proof of belonging to a sports club---so I sent them my gym membership  

After 4 attempts, multiple site crashes and many more check backs.  It WORKED!  Here's to persistence....and to the good ol' US of A utilizing technology efficiently to make our lives simpler.  Ahhh.

Cheers all!

Castiglione Tinella- Arione is on the left

Arione

Milano

I drove to Milan today.

No really, that’s it.  I drove the two hours to Milan on 50 ft. visibility fog covered autostrada, paid my 7.50 euros each way and came back home.

It all started this morning on a fine sunny day around my abode (that I found out sits at 1750 foot elevation) so I went for a fine run were I came up with a fine idea of going to buy a dress and some shoes in the fashion capital of the world.  All of this prefacing of course a fine three course dinner and possibly snagging some last minute tickets for the opera playing at the world renowned Teatro alla Scala at 20.00 (usually go for about 130 euros but I read they go to 25% off an hour before the show).  Yes, yes.  A fabulous plan if I do say so myself.

Reality: First of all, if no one has driven in Italy or any foreign country before, let me paint you a little picture.  There are no street names posted, no happy little exits every mile or so, no directions to follow to your destination.  You get to your destination by following the well posted blue signs located at every intersection and roundabout pointing you the direction of certain cities.  This system work well WHEN YOU CAN SEE THE SIGNS.  All of this while going at insanely high speeds for fear that the Peugeot behind me with crawl up my tailpipe.  As you might have guesses, there is a serious blanket of fog that is covering the entire country right now (except for 1700 feet and higher of course).  And I know this for a fact because I drove through THE ENTIRE COUNTRY today (oh, and round and round the roundabouts...Ace Ventura style trying to read the signs that only pop out of the fog when I’m two feet, or ½ a second away from them).  I have only the force to thank for getting me back here in one piece.  Thanks again Luke!

Milano:  Holy cow!  Driving in Milan is not recommended for the faint hearted.  There are no designated lanes or paint markings separating them, double parking, and triple turn lanes (without markings of course, everyone just piles into the middle of the intersection if you want to go left). Basically a free for all on cobblestones.  There is of course the greenpeace inspired HOV lane in the middle of all of this with periodic breaks in the separation barriers at the intersections.  Do you know how hard this makes turning left?  I hate greenpeace.

So there I am driving around Milan in my happy little toy car with my heart rate going faster than it did on my happy little run this morning wondering how one parks in Milan.  No really, does anyone know how to park in Milan?  I still haven’t figured it out.  Most signs were just a blue circle with a red slash and the numbers 0-24 below it.  Mostly I just figure this means no parking anytime.  Some signs had a rate on them…Fabulous!  Where do you pay?  There were no kiosks or meters anywhere and then there were big blue signs with a P on them lead me to closed building.  Ugh. 

The success of my day was finding the local store open past 19.00 so I got stuff to make prosciutto wrapped chicken piccata.  I make a mean chicken piccata. Oh, and I just remembered I bought tiramisu.

-Number of drivers I pissed off today: Hard to tell cause no one honks.  Chaos injected rudeness might just be the norm.

-Number of cars I hit: zero :)

-KK’s new shoes and dress: :(

P.S.  The autostrada is not the autobahn.  I mention this because some people seem to be confused.

P.P.S.  I didn’t mean what I said about greenpeace.  Love you Ali.

Yeah, you try parking here.

Random Thoughts….by KK

-It takes 2 hours to drive across Switzerland and 22 to drive across Kazakhstan

-Barolo wines are s t r o n g…. especially when you have an 8pm Tele-class

-London is a 13 hour drive from me.  If I could drive to Tunisia, it would take 6.6 hours as a crow flies (not that I would)

-Listening to Norwegians speak makes me angry.  Do you have to over pronounce everything?

-Italy is 116,000 square miles. Colorado is 106,000.  What if every state in the U.S. had a different language? 

-If I download iCall to my iPhone and Skype to my Mac, how do I call a toll free number for free?

-Math is hard when converting to a 24 hour clock AND changing time zones.  If home is MST and class is 10 am Central time and I'm 7 hours ahead, am I late if its 16:00?    

-If you stare back long enough, they look away first 

(this  c o u l d  be a clue as to why I'm single)

-12 mile runs are difficile without water ... is it considered ODD behavior  to "plant water bottles" near the road?

-Nougat is yummy

-Clouds can look like a sea of dry ice swallowing up whole cities

Lasagna (-e)

How did I waste an entire morning?  I don’t know, but I did at least get out for a long run.  By the time I got back and ready to go to the store it was 2:00.  Great.  The exact time stores are closed for their…well…lunch I guess.  They don’t like it when we call it a siesta but they will close their shops to go home to have lunch with their families.  As far as I can tell, the hours are between 1 and 3.  I’ll have to confirm that though.  Luckily the grocery store I wanted to go to was open.

Is your perception that everything here is more expensive?  Get a load of my grocery receipt. Hazelnuts/Nocciole were $2.30.  How much would you pay for a bag of nuts at the grocery store?  Noodles/Sfoglia per lasagna was about $1.  A liter of milk/latte was $1.50 so a gallon would be about $5 but who wants to drink milk anyway.  I’d like to point out the Cab Sav that I bought was a 1.5 liter, so 2x the size of a normal bottle.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s no Barolo, but comparable to what I’d buy back home. The grocery bag/borsa was almost the most expensive item next to my Edamer block of cheese (mmmm). Oh, and eggs come in cartons of 10.

Dinner – Did you know that lasagna is traditionally made with Bechamel sauce (roux or milk, butter and flour).  I have NEVER made lasagna with a Bechamel sauce.  From now on I will ALWAYS make Lasagna with a Bechamel sauce.  So now, for less than $22, I have dinner for a week (or maybe a couple days at this rate).


Note on spelling: Americans spell it Lasagna, Italians spell it Lasagne.  Ciao!

Can we REALLY not make noodles to match the pan size.  At least I can tear this stuff.

Pay no attention to how much I ate.

Don't  j u d g e  me

Random tangent of the day.  Get a load of this place!

Wine tasting turned into photo taking

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.  Tell me your favorites and I'll send them to you before I start charging.  It's been raining/piove and overcast/nuvoloso since I got here Thursday.  The sun came out so wine became a second priority.  (I apologize to anyone who just had the song by Annie come into their head).............Uhem, back to wine, turns out the best Moscato d'Asti's are made in my back yard.  Some of you will be receiving those soon after shops open Friday.  Oh, and I did purchase several bottles Barolos.  Someone recommended a dinner for me but that restaurant was closed today.  I'll try back there Friday.

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